"GRYFFINDOR!!"
Once the hat said that, Professor McGonagall took it off me, and with a flick of her wand, my robes took on the Gryffindor colors. The twins' commotion started once again. As I walked to the Gryffindor table, Hermione motioned for me to sit next to her, and I ended up right across from Harry. Before we could even start talking, the headmaster stood up once more to make an announcement.
"Congratulations to the new students on being sorted into their houses. Now, let's begin the feast."
I found it odd that Dumbledore didn't announce the Triwizard Tournament and all the other things the new students should know, but it wasn't that he'd forgotten. He just waited until the very end, when everyone had finished every last crumb of their desserts, before he called everyone's attention back and began making the announcements with his characteristic grandfatherly smile.
"Well, now that we've eaten and drunk, I must once again ask for your attention. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you that the list of prohibited items within the castle has been expanded this year to include Squeaky Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Smacking Boomerangs. The full list can be found in Mr. Filch's office. I believe it contains about 437 items if you wish to check..."
The headmaster's mouth twitched slightly as he said this before continuing.
"As always, I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest' on the school grounds is off-limits to students, as is Hogsmeade Village for all those below third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not be held this year..."
When the headmaster said this, almost all the students began to complain, but he gestured for them to calm down and continued.
This is due to an event that will begin in October and continue throughout the school year, taking up a large part of the teachers' time and energy, but I am sure that everyone will enjoy it immensely... I have the great pleasure of announcing that this year at Hogwarts...
At that moment there was a deafening crash of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall burst open and a man was standing in the doorway leaning on a long staff and wrapped in a black traveling cloak. The noise attracted everyone's attention, making them turn in his direction. He was illuminated by a flash of lightning that suddenly shone on the ceiling. The man lowered his hood, shook his long hair, which was a mix of white and dark gray, and then began to walk towards the staff table.
With each step the man took, a dull thud echoed. As he reached the end of the main table and approached the headmaster, another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling, illuminating the man's face even more clearly. It was the infamous former Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, or in this case, Barty Junior, who had used Polyjuice Potion to take his place.
The imposter Moody and the headmaster exchanged a brief, whispered conversation before taking his seat at the staff table. The headmaster then spoke again.
"Allow me to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor... Professor Moody."
After the introduction, only Dumbledore and Hagrid applauded briefly. The headmaster cleared his throat and continued with a smile at the students who were still staring at Moody.
"As I was saying... we're going to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the next few months, an event that hasn't been held for over a century... it's my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year."
Fred and George exclaimed loudly, breaking the tension that had built up since Moody's arrival, making almost everyone laugh, including the headmaster, who said appreciatively,
"No, I wasn't joking, Mr. Weasley... although I did hear an excellent one this summer about a troll, a witch, and a goblin who walk into a pub..."
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, and the headmaster continued speaking.
- Uh... but perhaps this isn't the right time... no... where was I?... ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament... well, some of you may not know what this tournament is about, so I hope those who do will forgive me for the brief explanation... the Triwizard Tournament was established about 700 years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest schools of magic in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang... a champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions would compete in magical trials. The schools took turns hosting the tournament every five years, and it was considered an excellent way to strengthen the bonds between young witches and wizards of different nationalities... until... the number of deaths increased so much that the tournament was suspended... there have been several attempts over the centuries to restore the tournament, none of which were successful... however, our Departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided that the time is right to Another attempt...
While listening to Dumbledor's words, I couldn't help but think that only an idiot would try to revive something like that.
"We have worked diligently throughout the summer to ensure that, this time, no champion will be in mortal danger... The headmasters of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive the day before Halloween, which is when the selection of champions will take place. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a personal prize of one thousand Galleons... Although I am eager to bring the Triwizard Cup back to Hogwarts, the headmasters of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose a restriction on the contenders this year... Only students of legal age... that is to say... 17 years of age or older, will be allowed to submit their names for consideration..."
Again, when the students heard the condition, they began to complain that it was unfair. Dumbledore raised his voice slightly and continued.
"This is a measure we consider necessary, given the level of difficulty and danger of the tests, regardless of the precautions we take, and it is very likely that students under the age of 6 and 7 could handle them... I will personally ensure that no underage student deceives our impartial judge into naming them Hogwarts Champion..."
When the Headmaster said this, his gaze was fixed on the twins, who seemed to accept the challenge with a smile.
"Therefore, I beg you not to waste your time applying if you are under 17... the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be staying with us for most of this year... I know you will all be very courteous to our foreign guests while they are with us and that you will give your unconditional support to the Hogwarts Champion when he is selected... and now, it is getting late, and I know how important it is for all of you to be awake and rested when you start your classes tomorrow morning... very well... time for bed!"
With those last words, everyone began to rise from their tables, and the prefects started calling the new students to give them a brief guide to their respective house common rooms. I, for my part, didn't follow them and went with Harry and the others to the Gryffindor common room. Since this was technically my first time there, the boys told me a few things as we followed the other students who were also making their way.
Once we entered the room, I heard several students talking about how unfair it was that they couldn't participate. The most enthusiastic about it was Ron, who claimed that he could pass the tests without any problems if they let him participate.
Since I wasn't very interested in the topics being discussed in the common room, I asked Hermione about the girls' dormitories. She told me where they were, and since she wasn't very interested in the tournament either, we both said goodbye to the boys and went up to the dormitory. Because Hermione's dormitory only had her and two other girls, there were still some beds available, so one of them was assigned to me.
Once we were alone in the dormitory, I told Hermione that I planned to see Madam Pomfrey tomorrow about the chocolate incident, and she agreed to come with me since, depending on the outcome, she might need a checkup and possibly take an antidote.